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PBIA, North County may extend runways

Gardens officials are concerned about the increased noise from larger jets.

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Runway extensions are in the works to accommodate larger planes at Palm Beach International and the smaller North County General Aviation Airport. Palm Beach County's Metropolitan Planning Organization decided this week to include plans to lengthen the runways in its long-term transportation plan for the county. The move would lengthen PBIA's shortest runway to accommodate business jets that now take off and land on the airport's commercial runway. In Palm Beach Gardens, the general aviation airport's only runway would be extended by about 2,000 feet to accommodate business jets, including some that are now based at PBIA, said Jerry Allen, airport planning director.

Allen stressed that any expansion at the north county airport would have to be approved by the Palm Beach Gardens City Council. A master plan for the county's airports must be completed before plans to extend either of the runways move forward. But some city council members say they are still concerned. Vice Mayor Eric Jablin said the extension would allow transcontinental jets flying between California and The Scripps Research Institute to land at the airport, which could bring more noise to the western edge of the city. Scripps' Florida campus will be just west of the north county airport.

"It's concerning, and if we don't keep an eye on it, it could be worrisome," Jablin said Friday. "I understand why they need to do this, but we have to make sure the safeguards are still in place and the noise levels don't increase." Allen said Scripps didn't trigger plans to extend the runway at the north county airport. Instead, he said, the longer strip is needed to help reduce the number of business jets at PBIA, which sometimes wait up to 40 minutes to take off from its longer runway. "It is definitely not a Scripps-driven issue," Allen said. "We are looking at all the runways at all the airports. We are looking at needs for general aviation."

An agreement between the county and Palm Beach Gardens now forbids commercial airplanes at the north county airport. It also requires city council approval of expansion of the runway. Even with the extension, Allen said, the general aviation airport's runway would be too short for commercial airplanes, which require about 10,000 feet of space to take off and land. The runway is now about 4,000 feet, Allen said.

Councilman David Levy said the runway was kept purposely short to make sure noise didn't become an inconvenience for residents in nearby communities, including PGA National. "I would have to see some benefit to the residents before I would vote to change that agreement," Levy said. "I don't see what the benefit is to the residents."

PBIA late arrivals worst in U.S. during winter

By Marilyn Geewax

Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service

Friday, May 27, 2005

WASHINGTON — Palm Beach International Airport had the nation's worst record for late arrivals this winter, the Transportation Department told a Senate subcommittee Thursday.

The department's inspector general, Kenneth Mead, said at a hearing on traffic congestion that travel delays have been worsening nationwide as the number of passengers increases.

A chart he submitted with his testimony showed that 40 percent of the 13,354 flights arriving at the suburban West Palm Beach airport were late during January, February and March.

The average delay was 51 minutes, compared with a nationwide average of 52.3 minutes.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was the second-worst, with 37.8 percent of its 32,502 flights arriving late during this year's first quarter.

That airport had the biggest jump in delay time, rising from 47 minutes to 57 minutes.

Airport officials in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale said Thursday that January through March is the peak of the tourist season and that there are more flights than in the slower summer months.

"These are the busiest routes and the busiest airports," said Steve Belleme, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale airport.

FAA spokesman Greg Martin said airport arrival delays were compared, rather than departures, because "that's a more meaningful measure to a passenger. They want to get to where they want to go."

Mead said traffic congestion is worsening largely because of low fares.

In April 2000, the average one-way airfare on a 1,000-mile flight was $147. But in April, it was down 20 percent to $118, he said.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Marion Blakey told the lawmakers that domestic airlines are planning to wait out weather delays this summer rather than cancel flights.

That means stretching out traffic later into the evening and creating more pressures for controllers, she said.

"Boy, I'll tell you, we could be looking at some real delays," Blakey said.

The FAA predicts airlines will carry 710 million travelers this year, up from 698.9 million in the peak year of 2000.

Passengers dropped to 640.9 million the year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

That slump provided the air transport system with spare capacity, but now "traffic is back," Blakey said.

The rebound is coming at a time when "our National Weather Service is talking about a very rough convective weather season," she said. "I hope they're wrong, but that's what they tell us."

To prepare, the FAA is "making inroads wherever possible to find ways to increase capacity," she said.

PBIA spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda said much of the airport's winter traffic comes from the Northeast, where snowstorms can cause delays getting into Florida.

"It is all controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration when people can take off," De La Rionda said.

In February this year, PBIA averaged 217 operations a day, including incoming and outgoing flights.

For May, it's running at 183, De La Rionda said.

Belleme said Fort Lauderdale to New York is the busiest route in the nation, and 60 percent of the airport's travelers come from major Northeastern cities such as Boston.

"If they are delayed because of in-route congestion, it affects arrivals into Fort Lauderdale," Belleme said.

Mead, the Transportation Department inspector general, said the "airports to watch this summer" for serious problems included Fort Lauderdale; Atlanta; Philadelphia; Newark, N.J.; and Washington's Dulles.

Each had significant delays last summer and is projected to see traffic growth this summer.